1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector of the type in which terminal accommodating chamber is sealed at a wire outlet side thereof with a xe2x80x9cbody of soft sealing materialxe2x80x9d (hereafter called xe2x80x9csoft sealing materialxe2x80x9d), and to a method for assembling the same.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
There have been disclosed such types of waterproof connectors in U.S. Pat. No. 4662692, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 64-3282, and Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 4-101380.
A waterproof connector of the concerned type comprises a plurality of terminal accommodation chambers reduced at front ends for connection to a mating connector, a plurality of terminals accommodated in the terminal accommodation chambers and connected to front ends of wires, and a soft sealing material for a common sealing at a wire outlet end of the terminal accommodation chambers. The soft sealing material comprises a configured body of a gel, such as of silicon, which tight contacts on the wires and inner walls of a straight wire outlet of the housing, and prevents water drops and droplets from invading the terminal accommodation chambers along outer circumferences of the wires and inner walls of the housing.
The soft sealing material is fitted in the wire outlet, and is kept from slipping out by a relatively hard frame as a retainer, which is inserted in the wire outlet and fixed thereto. A plurality of slits are formed through the soft sealing material for letting therethrough the terminals connected to the wires.
For assembling the terminals in the housing, the soft sealing material is pushed in the wire outlet, and accommodated therein in a compressed state tightcontacting on walls of the housing, before the retainer is fixed in the wire outlet. Then, each terminal is applied to and forced forward through a corresponding slit, so it enters a terminal accommodation chamber, dragging a wire along the slit. When the terminal is accommodated, the wire extends through the slit. As the soft sealing material is in the compressed state, an inside circumference of the slit is pressed tight on an outer circumference of the wire. The terminal accommodation chamber is thus kept free from water invasion that otherwise might have occurred along the outer circumference of the wire or along inner walls of the housing.
Each terminal placed in a corresponding terminal accommodation chamber is locked by engagement with a lance projecting inside the chamber from a chamber wall, which lance is flexible within a space in the wall and flexed in a locking position with a spacer inserted in the space. Thus, the terminal is kept from slip-out, in a doubled manner, i.e., by the soft sealing material stopped with the retainer and by the lance flexed with the spacer.
As the terminals are forced through the slits in the soft sealing material, they scrape inner circumferences of the slits, and carry scraps of electrically insulating sealing material into the terminal accommodation chambers. Such scraps constitute obstacles to connection of each terminal with a mating terminal, and provide a reduced conductance therebetween.
The scraped inner circumferences of the slits have reduced tendencies to seal gaps therealong, causing a deteriorated performance of the waterproof connector.
The hard retainer has openings each formed with a dimension large enough for a corresponding terminal to be let therethrough, dragging a wire connected thereto. The opening has to be larger in section than the terminal that may well be larger than the wire, which may be tensed and pulled sideways. A large opening allows for the wire to be flexed directly about a rear edge of a slit, which is formed in the soft sealing material. A flexion of the wire pushes at one side thereof a contacting part of the slit edge, having an excessive clearance developed at the other side, occasionally causing water droplets to slip in, resulting in a reduced sealing performance.
The present invention has been achieved with such points in view. It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector and a method for assembling the same, with an effective water sealing free of conventional considerations to scrapes or scraps of a soft sealing material, and/or occasional slip-in of water.
To achieve the object, an aspect of the invention provides a waterproof connector comprising a first housing defining a chamber, a soft sealing body sealing the chamber, an electric wire provided through the soft sealing body, a terminal connected to the electric wire, a second housing accommodating the terminal, and a sealing provided between the first and second housings.
According to this aspect of the invention, a connector housing is divided into a first housing which defines a first chamber sealed with a soft sealing body, and a second housing which accommodates a terminal. An electric wire is inserted through the soft sealing body, and connected to the terminal. The terminal does not need to be forced through the soft sealing body, and will not scrape the soft sealing body nor carry scraps thereof into the second housing. The connector housing is waterproof, as a sealing is provided between the first and second housings of a waterproof connector. The sealing may preferably be provided before, when or after the first and second housings are combined, connected, fastened, fitted, fixed, integrated, joined or screwed to each other.
The chamber may preferably have a sealed end sealed by the soft sealing body, and an open end communicating with an inside of the second housing, and the first housing may preferably have a wall closing the sealed end of the chamber and formed with an insertion hole for passing the electric wire. The wall can prevent an occasional slip-in of water. The insertion hole may preferably be smaller in section than the terminal.
The terminal may preferably have a connection part for connection to the electric wire, and the second housing may preferably have a channel for fitting therein the connection part of the terminal, the channel being open at a lateral side thereof for the electric wire to be laterally pushed therein. The terminal may preferably comprises an insulation displacement terminal.
Further to achieve the object described, another aspect of the invention provides a waterproof connector assembling method comprising providing a first housing defining a chamber, sealing the chamber with a soft sealing body, providing an electric wire through the soft sealing body, connecting a terminal to the electric wire, accommodating the terminal in a second housing, and providing a sealing between the first and second housings. According to this aspect also, there are achieved like effects to that aspect of the invention.